Mother of stabbed teenager Yousef Makki dies ‘with a broken heart’
Written by News on 24/05/2020
The mother of a schoolboy who was stabbed to death in a Cheshire village has died.
Yousef Makki, 17, a scholarship boy at Manchester Grammar School, was knifed in the heart by his friend Joshua Molnar, 18, during a fight in Hale Barns on 2 March last year.
And in a statement on Sunday, the family confirmed his mother Debbie Makki had died.
A post on the Facebook page Justice for Yousef Makki, written by his sister Jade Akoum, said her mother had died “with a broken heart” and “at least she is with Yousef now”.
She later released a personal statement that said: “My mum’s mental and physical health had deteriorated dramatically over the past year…
“Her heart was broken and the spark in her eyes had gone. The toll of losing Yousef was colossal, but the injustice and the constant uphill battle we had to fight meant she never found peace.”
A family statement said Ms Makki had been “rushed to hospital via ambulance two days ago” after struggling at home.
It added: “We were unable to be with her in her last moments, just as we were unable to be with Yousef – but they are together now which brings us some comfort.
“Our world has fallen apart all over again and we are all in complete shock.”
Yousef’s school described the news as “tragic” in a social media tribute.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham tweeted: “So, so sorry to hear this news. And after everything the family has been through.
“Debbie was such a lovely person and deserved so much more. My love to them all.”
She was last photographed in public in October, when she gave a speech at an anti-knife crime summit in Manchester.
Molnar was cleared of Yousef’s murder and manslaughter following a trial at Manchester Crown Court last July when he claimed he acted in self-defence.
He admitted possession of a knife and perverting the course of justice and was given 16 months in custody.
A second defendant, who can only be identified as Boy B, was convicted of possession of a knife and sentenced to a four-month detention order.
He was cleared of perverting the course of justice and, along with Molnar, was found not guilty of a single charge of conspiracy to robbery.
Ms Makki and the family have been calling for a full inquest into Yousef’s death, and at a pre-inquest hearing in February their legal representative Matthew Stanbury said matters surrounding the teenager’s death “have not been sufficiently aired”.
(c) Sky News 2020: Mother of stabbed teenager Yousef Makki dies ‘with a broken heart’
